How Growing Up in Indonesia Shaped Joe Taslim’s Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat

There’s something different about the way Joe Taslim plays Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat. It’s not loud, not explosive, and that’s intentional.

When he spoke to Once and Always a Fanboy, Joe described his take on Bi-Han as something more internal. “He’s very calm but dangerous at the same time,” he said. Instead of playing the character as outwardly aggressive, he leaned into restraint. “Everything is from inside,” he explained. 

That approach also comes from how he sees the character culturally. “I have Chinese blood… I’m 75% Chinese,” Joe shared. “To bring it more authentic, I leaned more into the Chinese culture.” At the same time, he didn’t leave his Indonesian side behind.

That idea didn’t come from nowhere. It’s rooted in Joe’s upbringing in South Sumatra. “The most dangerous people… are mostly not loud,” he shared. That became a guiding principle for how he approached Sub-Zero.

He even brought some humor into it. “We’re known for exporting a lot of criminals to the big cities in Indonesia,” he said, before adding, “I’m so sorry.” But behind the joke is something real. “I grew up there,” he continued, “and I learned from a lot of dangerous people.”

What he took from that wasn’t aggression, it was control. “They’re mostly not loud,” he repeated. “Sometimes it’s not about big movement or being loud… the way he talks is almost whispering.”

“There’s something cold inside of him,” he added, connecting it to Sub-Zero’s powers. “Ice is his power, so everything is connected.”

In a genre where villains rely on spectacle, Joe Taslim takes a different route, grounding Sub-Zero in quiet intensity. And sometimes, that presence is what makes it truly dangerous.

Watch the full Mortal Kombat 2 Cast interview.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. PH.